Following its announcement of support for the Google-led Kubernetes open source project in July, Microsoft (MSFT) has worked with Google (GOOG) to boost its support. The vendor, working in conjunction with both Google and Docker, has announced support for Kubernetes on two different fronts.

The first announcement has to do with support for Docker containers on Azure with Kubernetes. Microsoft first promised to bring Docker and Kubernetes support to Azure in July, and the company has made good on that promise. Microsoft has released a tool that enables management of Docker container clusters on Azure, as well as on Google Compute Engine. It's a single pane of glass for Docker management.

The ability to deploy an Azure cluster using container images from Azure Storage or Docker Hub.

The ability to configure an Azure cluster.

The ability to update the Kubernetes application on an existing cluster.

And the ability to tear down an Azure cluster.

It's a big step forward in integrating Kubernetes into the Azure cloud.

Microsoft is also aiming to make it easier to use Kubernetes, particularly on Azure. During a Microsoft Hackathon this summer, a summer intern developed a tool that provided visualization for Kubernetes.

Madhan Arumugam Ramakrishnan, principal lead program manager for Microsoft Azure Compute Runtime, wrote in a blog that the project was to build a visualization system to show what Kubernetes is doing when managing Docker on Azure. More technical details are available in Ramakrishnan's blog, so be sure to check it out if it's of interest.

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